Amusement device



Sept. 4, 1928.

0. ROUGE AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed April 12, 1927 Patented Sept. 4, 1928.

UNITED STATES OCTAVE ROUGE, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

Application filed April 12, 1927, Serial No. 183,064, and in France April 15, 1926.

This invention relates to an amusement de vice of the type in which a number of trailers pivoted with respect to a rotating member are driven over a horizontal floor in curved paths. The object of the invention is to provide in a device of this character manual means under the control of the occupants of the trailers for rotating the trailers about their pivotal mounting to bring them closer to thecenter of rotation of the device and cause the trailers to be suddenly projected to a radial position under the action of centrifugal force when said manual means is re leased. The invention thus provides an amusement device of this type in which the occupants can control the eccentricities of movement of the trailers.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatical plan of the device;

Fig. 2 is a partial view of the members driving the trailers over the track.

The device comprises essentially a horizontal floor 1, a circular toothed rack 2 which is integral with an U-shaped iron ring 3 and which has 1ts center at the point 4:. The ring 3 bears on a number of rollers 5 the spindles of which are carried by members 6 secured on the floor 1. The ring 3 is kept in place relatively to the center a by means of other rollers 7, the vertical spindles of which are carried by suitable bearings also secured on the floor.

A suitable engine 8 drives through a suitable gear 9 a pinion 1O meshing with the toothed rack 2 and the ring 3 rotates about the center 4 and rolls over the rollers 5 and in contact with the rollers 7.

On the vertical outer part of the ring 3 are secured sets of fork pieces 11, each set consisting of three forks and the sets being equidistant from each other. The number of trailers 12 depends on the size of the amusement device.

Each trailer comprises an arm-chair mounted on sliding rollers 13 driven over the floor 1 the surface of which is preferably constituted by sheet-iron plates.

Rods it connect each arm-chair with an attaching member 15 pivoted on a spindle 16 mounted within a strong fork piece 17 which is fastened on the little fork pieces 11 by means of arms 18 and bolts 19. This construction allows a ready disassembling and assembling of the device, as is required in installations of this character.

A strong spring 20 is secured, at one end, to an extension of the attaching member and, at the other end, to the spacer 21 of the fork piece 17.

The direction of the rotation of the toothed rack 3 and, consequently, of the fork pieces 17 is given by the arrow F.

In order to support the fork pieces 17 and the members 15, a roller 27, rolling over the floor 1, is located below each spindle 16.

In the neighborhood of the hand of the passengers of each trailer 12, is secured one end of a flexible, but very strong rope 29, the other end of which is firmly fastened to a rigid part of the driving mechanism of the following trailer, to one of the fork pieces 11 for instance. The rope 29 has such a length that. when it is stretched, the trailer 12 may reach the radial position D.

When the passengers of the trailer wish to feel sensations which are more violent than those due only to the rotation of the chairs, they draw with their hand or by means of a suitable mechanical means a wheel for instance) on the rope 29 to draw their chairs nearer to the center 4 and, according to the length of rope pulled in, the trailer is drawn to one of the positions indicated by X, Y or Z. At the moment chosen by the passengers, the latter release the rope 29 and their-trailer is projected under the action of centrifugal force towards the outside, turning more or less quickly about the spindle 16 of the fork piece 17 the said rotation is limited by the tension of the rope 29 at the moment where the trailer is returned back to the position D.

The purpose of the spring 20 is to oppose the rotation of the trailers beyond the radial position indicated at D.

For the same purpose, a strong pin 26 or any other like stop member is fastened to each fork piece 17, the member15 abutting against the said pin 26 when the trailer is in the position D.

zVhat I claim is:

In a device of the kind described, in combination with a member rotatable about a center, a plurality of chairs rotating with said member and adapted to roll on a horizontal surface, a connection between each of said chairs and said member including a vertical pivot, and a flexible connection for each chair having one end secured to said member at a point spaced. from the connection of the respective chair with said member and having its other end within reach of the occupant of the respective chair, whereby the occupant can draw the chair more or less close to said center of rotation.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

OCTAVE ROUGE. 

